The year did not get off to a good start for Virgin Trains after the rail provider was forced to apologise for posting a sexist remark in response to a customer complaint over Twitter. A customer tweeted their dismay at being dismissed as ‘honey’ by a train manager, to which the firm responded: “Sorry for the mess up Emily, would you prefer ‘pet’ or ‘love’ next time?” With rail companies already under pressure for raising rail fares by 3.6% in 2018, this is the last thing Virgin needs.

Moving on to the catering industry, a chef found themselves in hot water this week after allegedly boasting over social media about ‘spiking’ a vegan meal. Co-owner of Italian restaurant Carlini in Shifnal, Shropshire, Laura Goodman posted on Facebook that a “pious, judgemental vegan” had gone to bed “still believing she’s a vegan”, which was construed by some that she had tampered with her food. This led to a furious backlash online and Laura has since apologised for her action, highlighting how you should be careful what you brag about online.

We end on the latest campaign from Public Health England, which this week has launched a £4.5million campaign aimed at promoting healthy snack choices to children. The drive, which is being supported by supermarkets including the Co-op and Tesco, comes following a Government survey which found that half of children’s sugar intake comes from unhealthy snacks and sugary drinks. It will be interesting the see if the initiative can make parents take notice and make healthier choices – we will be watching this campaign closely as it develops.